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Chapter 54
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“Areum, hi! You’re here early today!”
“Ah, yeah! Hi.”
Eun-byul greeted Areum cheerfully upon seeing her at the academy.
They were on their way to attend a required course for magic-type hunters.
After settling in a seat toward the front,
Areum hesitated before speaking.
“U-um, Eun-byul….”
“Yeah? What’s up?”
“W-would you like to go to a dungeon today?”
“Oh, I was planning to anyway! But what’s gotten into you? You’re the one suggesting it first.”
Eun-byul readily agreed to Areum’s suggestion,
since she had already planned to go from the start.
When Eun-byul followed up with a light-hearted question, Areum responded shyly.
“I’m trying to put in more effort….”
“Hmm.”
Eun-byul narrowed her eyes as she looked at her friend.
She wasn’t sure what had caused this change in Areum,
but it was a welcome one.
Areum, who had always been timid, hated going to dungeons.
Whenever Eun-byul dragged her along to gain experience,
Areum would always retreat to the back.
Both of them were support roles in dungeons,
but with Areum standing far off, it had been distracting.
But now, her friend was suggesting they go to a dungeon.
It was unimaginable for the Areum she knew.
‘Did something happen to trigger this change?’
Eun-byul smiled brightly and said,
“Let’s go after class. I should message Jae-woo in advance.”
“Okay!”
Areum nodded enthusiastically, smiling as brightly as a blooming flower.
After concentrating on the lecture,
the two women met up with Jae-woo in front of the reserved E-rank dungeon.
There, Eun-byul was surprised yet again.
“Umm, by the way… h-how do you work out?”
“Huh? Work out?”
“Yeah…. I’ve never done it before, so I don’t know where to start….”
Seeing Areum asking Jae-woo about exercising?
‘Did the sun rise in the west today?’
Eun-byul unconsciously rubbed her eyes and glanced at the sky.
Not that it would give her any answers.
Areum’s transformation didn’t stop there.
Even after entering the dungeon and beginning combat,
she didn’t stray too far and stayed in a reasonable position.
She would lean forward slightly, only to pause,
her toes twitching as if she wanted to step forward but pulling back again.
Eun-byul couldn’t believe her eyes at the scene unfolding before her.
‘What happened to her in just a few days…?’
She needed to focus on Jae-woo, but she kept glancing at Areum.
Shaking her head vigorously, Eun-byul brushed aside her distractions.
After finishing the dungeon,
the three chatted idly before going their separate ways.
Back at her house, Eun-byul ran into her brother, Yeo Do-hyung, in front of the door.
“Where are you going?”
Eun-byul asked casually, passing by him.
Do-hyung paused briefly before replying.
“To a shoot. I’ve got some extra filming to do for the ramen commercial.”
“Oh, that one.”
“I’ll come home right after the shoot.”
“Do as you please.”
Eun-byul replied lightly.
She hadn’t asked with any particular intention.
Do-hyung shrugged and went on his way.
Eun-byul stepped inside.
In one corner of the kitchen, a box of cup ramen caught her eye.
“Ugh, what’s so great about that spicy stuff, anyway?”
Frowning deeply, she went into her room.
***
“This goes here, and….”
Si-hyun was diligently moving her pen across several sheets of paper, inscribing various details.
One by one, the magic formulas were nearing completion.
“Hoo!”
She paused momentarily, stretching her neck and shoulders.
In her field of vision, a muted TV was showing a Momobin broadcast.
She decided to finish quickly so she could continue watching it.
Turning back to the papers,
the traces of new magic she was creating stood out.
She needed to come up with a name as well. What should it be called?
Flame Taste?
Fiery Tongue?
But the focus was on pain, not fire or flames.
Was there a better name? Hmm….
Mouth of Hell.
Burning Tongue Pain.
Ah, Burning Tongue Pain! That might work.
It had been a while since she developed new magic, and she realized she was genuinely enjoying herself.
Who would have thought she’d create magic with no practical use?
Maybe that’s why it felt even more fun.
Though the magic itself was a low-tier debuff spell,
it wouldn’t feel insignificant to the one experiencing it.
After all, it would replicate exactly what her tongue had felt. Heh heh….
“Unnie—. What are you doing?”
Si-yoon appeared, taking a short break from her own work.
“I’m developing a new spell.”
“You’re making something new?”
She blinked in surprise.
Soon, Si-yoon’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“What kind of spell is it?”
“A spell that inflicts pain equivalent to over 20,000 Scoville units on the tongue.”
T/n: The Scoville scale is a measurement of pungency (spiciness or “heat”) of chili peppers and other substances, recorded in Scoville heat units (SHU).
“Ugh….”
Si-yoon grimaced.
She looked as if she’d already suffered the effects of an unfinished spell.
“Why are you even making something like that…?”
“To torment a hero-like bastard if he ever shows up.”
“Ah, I see….”
Si-yoon nodded blankly, her expression dazed.
After hesitating for a moment, she took a small step back and said,
“I-I’ll be going now!”
“Alright, take care.”
Si-hyun watched her younger sister retreating to her room before turning her gaze back to the papers on the table.
She had mentioned 20,000 Scoville units as a comparison,
but the intensity would vary depending on how serious she was.
If she used it with full force, it could inflict pain far beyond that.
It would be best for that assassin not to appear in front of her.
“Fufufu….”
Si-hyun chuckled, realizing her toes were wiggling with excitement, and got back to work.
***
Returning to her room, Si-yoon let out a small sigh.
She never imagined her sister was planning something so terrifying.
It wasn’t enough to use the mysterious forces of magic; she was even creating new spells.
Just where did her sister’s limits lie?
No, that wasn’t the point here.
Considering that floating cups and laptops were an everyday sight at home,
worrying about her sister’s limits wasn’t a critical matter.
‘She’s making a spell that will make someone’s tongue feel like it’s burning from eating chili peppers…?’
It sounded like a trivial magic spell on the surface,
but imagining the pain made it seem horrifying.
“She… she wouldn’t use it on me, right…?”
No way. Her sister wouldn’t do that. Never, ever.
…Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be careful when joking around.
If she accidentally crossed the line or got into an argument, her tongue might….
“Gulp….”
The thought alone terrified her, and Si-yoon furrowed her brows deeply.
She turned to the monitor on her desk.
The game currently being streamed caught her attention.
It looked simple, requiring memory and deduction to find hidden mines on a grid.
It was a 3D adaptation inspired by a well-known game.
‘I was planning to have my sister try this….’
The memory of being teased for her poor physical reflexes in platformer games was still fresh.
She’d wanted to test how her sister’s mental skills would fare.
“She’d probably be amazing at it anyway….”
It was almost reckless of her to think otherwise.
Si-yoon exhaled a long sigh.
At that moment,
“Ah!”
An idea suddenly struck her.
She lifted her head and stroked her chin as she thought.
‘My sister is a professor.’
Before the Great Cataclysm, she had been a teacher-in-training at an education college.
It meant teaching others was her specialty.
‘Should I ask her for tips on improving at games?’
Her sister occasionally mentioned enjoying games.
It wouldn’t be strange to ask her for advice.
She could pick one of the games she’d failed at before,
learn some strategies, and then…
show off spectacularly during a broadcast!
“Hehehe….”
Si-yoon let out a sly laugh, imagining the shocked reactions from her viewers.
She’d need to time it carefully, learning first and then performing live,
but it seemed like a solid plan.
“What kind of merchandise do I still have in my room…?”
Seated in her chair, Si-yoon happily daydreamed about restarting her broadcasts.
***
The following evening.
Si-hyun and Si-yoon were preparing to go out together.
They had received a call from Ji-a the day before, saying she’d finally finished her work.
With a relieved tone, Ji-a suggested they go out for a nice meal.
The three of them had planned to meet for a long-overdue dinner.
They even decided to head to a bar for drinks afterward.
Excited, Ji-a had boasted confidently.
[“I’ll show you my secret wine bar!”]
Her words replayed vividly in Si-hyun’s mind, making her chuckle softly.
“Ah!”
“Hmm? What is it?”
As they left the house and walked toward public transport,
Si-yoon suddenly exclaimed loudly.
She rummaged through her handbag,
patted her pockets, and said,
“I think I left my phone at home…. We’re still close by, so I’ll run back and get it!”
“Alright, go ahead.”
Si-hyun watched her sister retrace her steps, then took out her own smartphone to check the time.
‘We’ve got plenty of time.’
She nodded lightly and glanced around.
Spotting a nearby convenience store, she decided to step inside.
It was a good chance to kill time and check for any fresh snacks.
She casually picked up some items, stored them in her magic bracelet,
and sat down confidently on a chair in the corner of the store.
After messaging her sister about her location,
she passed the time by browsing the internet.
“Hm…?”
[Breaking News: S-rank Spearman Yoo Byung-joon Goes Silent in A-rank Dungeon]
[“We Don’t Know Yet!” Guild Organizes a Rescue Team]
The news was causing quite a stir.
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